In this article let me take you on a Shida Night Market Food Tour – Shida is a smaller night market in Taipei that I honestly think is a little underrated
You can not say you’ve been to Taipei or indeed Taiwan until you’ve been to a night market – there truly is no better way to mingle with the locals and immerse yourself in the local culture and food scene
Shida is a less touristy night market compared the other night markets I’ve taken you to which means it is THE night market to check out if you dont like queues and crowds but still want to try out some authentic taiwanese street foods
I also did my research before going and in this video I will be showing you the food stores here that you do not want to miss out on
Also as with my all my Taipei night market videos I will be including the names of the dishes I ordered in English, Chinese and chinese phonetics so that you can order despite any language barriers!
I will of course also include information such as how to get to Shida night market and when it opens and what to bring
My goal is to empower you to navigate yourself to and at Shida Night Market like a local expert!
By the way this article is basically an excerpt of my youtube video which you can watch below instead if you prefer your information in video form (dont forget to subscribe while you’re there!)
Otherwise, lets get into it!
What to know about Shida Night Market
Shida Night Market, Shida Yeshi (師大夜市) is located in the Da’an district of Taipei
This area of the city, together with theneighbouring Gongguan (公館) is well known for its alternative and trendy style, housing several rock bars, cafés, and restaurants around the area.
It is also located in very close proximity to The National Taiwan Normal University, Shi Fan Da xue (師範大學)
And is in fact the reason why the night market is named after the university
Shida being a short form of the university’s name
Shida was a previously a highly popular night market however it has undergone some government rezoning and is now smaller than used to be
There are benefits of it being smaller though, you get shorter queues, a quieter, less touristy and still very authentic night market experience
I wish to add that I love shilin and raohe but the crowds are one of the main reasons why I would recommend Shida if you’re traveling with kids or babies
Shida Night Market Opening Hours
They are open 7 days a week from 4pm to 11pm daily aside from Saturdays where they open till midnight
How to get to Shida Night Market
Shida Night Markets is located in the Da’an district with the closest station being the Taipower Building Station which is located on on the green Songshan-Xindian line
Once you get to the Taipower Building station you need to locate exit 3 and Shida Night Markets is located an approximately 9 minute walk from the station
There are of course many ways to get there depending on where you’re traveling from and you may even decide to take a cab
As such I have included the google map pin here so that you can plan your travel accordingly
You will also need an easy (悠遊) card to ride the trains, I cover travel tips like these in my what you need to know before traveling to Taipei video which you can check out if you are going for the first time!
What Food to Get at Shida Night Market
Ok now that we’re here we need to decide what to get, luckily for you I have spent many hours researching and have narrowed down the popular places listed by many bloggers and locals to the following six AND I’ve even ordered them from entrees to desserts
So lets go on a little Shida Night Market food tour!
1. Shi Yun Fried Chicken (师园盐酥鸡)
Search for must try foods at Shida Night markets and I guarantee you will see this deep fried chicken listed on every list
Shi Yun Fried Chicken, Shī yuán yán sū jī 师园盐酥鸡 have been around since 1984 and is well known for its deep fried chicken flavored with a propriety combination of garlic and herbs
They can in fact deep fry anything you see here at the store front, simply pick Whatever you fancy and they will deep fry it right in front of you!
I arrived at Shida at 4pm and this was the first shop i went to which meant I ordered and walked straight in without any crowds
I did walk past it later on in the evening and there was a small queue in the front
Anyway, I got their signature fried chicken which cost 70 taiwan dollars or $2.20 US, they will ask if you want spice, I asked for moderate spice and the chicken was delicious!
The crispy skin gives way to juicy tender chicken meat when you bite into it
I was really sad though as I really wanted to order more but there are more food stalls to check out here today so I had to stop myself, definitely coming back though!
2. Hsu Ji Sheng Jian Bao (Steamed Buns) 許記生煎包
The next store we’re going to is conveniently, Located right next door! It serves one of my favourite Taiwanese street foods
Hsu Ji freshly steamed buns Hsu Ji Sheng Jian Bao 許記生煎包
are hand made buns with a minced pork meat filling that are placed on huge metal pan before water is added and the pan is covered
The result are buns that have a crispy pan fried bottom layer and a soft steamed upper layer with a juicy meaty filling
These cost 50 Taiwan dollars for 5 which is approximately $1.60 US
Fair warning to wait for a bit until you bite into it as it can be HOT
Also when you do it bite slowly and not over your shirt like i did least you get juice all over your shirt and hands
This is one of my favourite food stalls here
3. Braised Food (Lo Wei 滷味)
But lets move on to some main dishes, and having a good Lu Wei 滷味 aka braised food is definitely an experience you do not want to miss out on when you’re in town
This place is called Da tai bei pianyi Lao Mian 燈籠滷味 and it is impossible to miss the bright yellow and red signs as well as the huge variety of food items displayed the entrance
A good lu Wei features a large variety of ingredients such as tofu, fresh vegetables, meats and noodles that are then cooked in a stew like broth and topped off with a thick sauce containing a blend of spices such as ginger and sichuan pepper, as with most places in Taipei you can also choose your spice level
You simply pick up whatever you want to add into your final dish as well as your choice of noodles and pass it to the counter who will then chop up the selected meats and cook it with the noodles
I do think I might’ve overdone it – this incredibly large serving did only cost me 165 TWD or around $5 us dollars, these incredible prices are most probably the reason why the place was packed with families
The gravy made the dish so good and I can totally see it being the perfect winter dish
4. Beef Noodles (Niu Lao Da 牛老大)
If you’re looking for an option to Lo Wei and like your beef this is the shop to check out
Niu Lao Da 牛老大 which literally translates to Beef Boss specializes in this bowl of hand made noodles served with an incredibly beefy broth and thin slices of beef, I mean it was totally beef heaven
This bowl of noodles cost me $160 or around $5 us dollars
5. Ho Ho Mei Pineapple Buns (好好味港式小吃)
If you’ve been eating everything I’ve been eating so far then you would know its time for some desserts
I’ve got 2 options for you depending on how hungry you still are
If you’re not that hungry and just want something sweet to finish off then I highly recommend Ho Ho Mei Pineapple Buns , Hǎohǎo wèi gǎng shì xiǎochī (好好味港式小吃)
Ho Ho Mei literally translates to very delicious in Cantonese and this stall serves one of my favourite hong Kong snacks Pineapple Bun known as Bolo Bao
Which comprises of a soft fluffy bun topped off with a sugary cookie like topping
The topping is decorated with cross patterns that make it resemble a pineapple hence the name of the snack
This pineapple bun cost me $40 taiwan dollars or $1.30 us and taste as good as the ones I can get in Hong Kong
I highly recommend
6. Arnor Crepes
Option 2 are these huge waffle cones cram full of ice cream and toppings from Arnor Crepes
You can select your crepe of choice based on what’s on display at the entrance so there is no fear of language barrier here
I went with this matcha red bean flavor one which cost me a 100 TWD or around $3.20 US dollars and for me this was PERFECT as I visited in the middle of summer
It was cool refreshing and the ice cream had a decent dose of matcha in it too which is just how i like it
Outro
If this little food tour has got you night market curious I’ve also covered a total of TEN michelin rated stalls at Raohe Night Market and Ningxia Night Market, you can check them out next!
If you have any further questions or anything else you wanna say dont forget to leave me a comment in the comment section of the YouTube video or follow me on Instagram and Tiktok!
Get PHAT travel news and discounts delivered to your INBOX – SUBSCRIBE
Found value in this content? Consider buying me a coffee
Traveling to Taiwan? Book your activities via KLOOK using my discount code PHATLIFEPROJECTKLOOK for 10% OFF (new customers only)
